Film Review: GLADIATOR II (2024): Denzel Washington Upstages Paul Mescal in a Mostly Enjoyable Sequel to an Oscar-Winning Film

Gladiator II Review

Gladiator II (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Ridley Scott, written by David Scarpa, Peter Craig and David Franzoni and starring Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi, Fred Hechinger, Rory McCann, Matt Lucas, Peter Mensah, Yuval Gonen, Tim McInnerny, Lior Raz, Alec Utgoff, Line Ancel, Alexander Karim, Lee Charles and Chi Lewis-Parry.

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II casts Paul Mescal (Aftersun) in the film’s pivotal leading role of Lucius who is the son of Maximus (Russell Crowe) from the original Gladiator picture that came out in the year 2000. Mescal has an every man appeal to him that makes him likable but the jury is still out as to whether or not Mescal adequately fills Crowe’s big sandals for this sequel. The better news is that Oscar-winner Denzel Washington portrays the main villain, Macrinus, a former slave who wants to take over Rome and may well get the opportunity to try to. In a variation of words from Washington’s Academy Award-winning role from Training Day, though, Gladiator II “ain’t got nothing on” the first Gladiator. However, thanks to Washington’s energetic performance in the new sequel, the audience will not be bored at all.

Some of the problems of Gladiator II manifest themselves right at the picture’s outset. Mescal’s Lucius is deeply in love with his wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen). Anyone who’s seen a picture like Gladiator II before can predict from the way the movie is set up, that Arishat will die during the Roman invasion that kick-starts the picture. This gives Lucius a reason to seek some sort of vengeance as the picture progresses. The only thing unpredictable about the new sequel’s opening scenes is how little it develops Arishat as a character though thanks to Gonen’s tremendous screen presence, we get a feel she was a very important piece of Lucius’ life.

Things get better in the arena/Colosseum when Lucius takes on some vicious monkeys who look like they’ve merged with dogs to create some type of otherworldly monster that is appropriate looking for the action scene they appear in. Also on-point is the portrayal of Lucius’ mother, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen from the 2000 original movie), who sought to keep Lucius safe from harm. No such luck, though, as Lucilla is forced to confront the past, the present and the future as the movie’s plot gets underway and Lucius becomes forced to endure a fight for survival.

Pedro Pascal serves as the character, Marcus Acacius, who was a student of Maximus and Marcus has violence within him that makes him appear less than honorable to the noble Lucius. Pascal is solid in his fierce supporting turn in this new picture although his character often gets lost in the shuffle in retrospect when looking back at the movie as a whole.

Denzel’s performance is everything here. As the would-be Emperor, the most startling scene comes when his character, Macrinus, holds up a severed head of a key character in front of a crowd. Macrinus is the type of bad guy one hates with a passion but respects the brass, wicked and nasty way the character abuses his power. The build-up to one of the last scenes where Lucius will confront Macrinus is like riding a roller coaster waiting for the peak to arrive and when it does, fans of Gladiator will not be disappointed by the results.

It’s easy to predict who will live and who will die in Gladiator II. Some characters seem like they are written just to die. That’s the nature of these films and it’s a flaw of the picture. This problem, aside, though, there’s plenty of action and character-driven scenes that push the movie forward so quickly that the nearly two-and-a-half-hour running time isn’t going to be felt too much.

That being said, Mescal is a little bland in the lead role though he could inspire applause from the audience during some of his key speeches throughout the movie. The swordplay doesn’t always suit him as an actor. He was better in roles where he plays ordinary people like the one he played in his Oscar-nominated turn in Aftersun. There’s still potential for him to grow into this type of role but he comes across as a little wet-behind-the-ears at times for such an important heroic role.

Besides Denzel Washington’s towering performance, some of the supporting performances stand out. Matt Lucas is memorable and convincing as the Master of Ceremonies and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger shine  as the potentially doomed Emperors Geta and Caracalla, respectively. This is Denzel Washington’s movie from the moment he appears on-screen and he knows it and acts accordingly, chewing scenery like a dog chews on its new toy.

Connie Nielsen has her moments and some rather effective scenes that include those where she plays opposite Mescal with aplomb. She’s a link to the original movie that makes it feel legitimate as a serious sequel rather than a quick cash grab.

Gladiator II keeps unraveling its plot at a fairly steady speed which should keep fans of the first film entertained. This is not an Oscar-caliber film though Washington could well snag a nod for Best Supporting Actor if the film builds momentum which it could. Director Ridley Scott has been in this game a long time and knows that at this point in his career, this is the only Gladiator film he could have delivered which would satisfy fans who have been waiting 24 years for this movie. Mescal may feel like a minor misstep now but when looking at this film in another 24 years, it may have been the leap to a brilliant career for the versatile actor.

Rating: 7.5/10

Leave your thoughts on this Gladiator II review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, and Threads.